Counseling, MA School Counseling Track

48 credit hours

The school counseling program has the option for candidates to complete coursework for MO k-12 school counselor certification and, if desired, professional licensure. Graduates of the master’s in counseling program are qualified to work in a variety of schools and other settings.

Requirements

Major Coursework

45 credit hours of coursework from the following options:

IPC 51000Foundations of School Counseling

3

IPC 51200Ethics and Professional Issues

3

IPC 51300Principles of School Counseling

3

IPC 52100Human Growth and Development

3

IPC 52300Adjustment and Learning Issues in Children and Adolescents

3

IPC 54100Research Methods and Program Evaluation

3

IPC 55300Theories of Counseling Children and Adolescents

3

IPC 56100Group Dynamics, Process and Counseling

3

IPC 56200Social and Cultural Foundations of Counseling

3

IPC 57500Family and School Consulting

3

IPC 58100Appraisal of the Individual

3

IPC 58200Lifestyle and Career Development

3

IPC 58300Analysis of the Individual

3

IPC 62100Field Placement 1

3

IPC 62400Field Placement 2 K-12

3

Elective Coursework

3 credit hours of coursework from the following options:

IPC 52200Personality Theories and Psychopathology

3

IPC 52400Adult Diagnosis and Treatment Planning

3

IPC 53100Family Counseling

3

IPC 53200Marital Counseling

3

IPC 54200Statistical Analysis

3

IPC 56400Crisis Intervention

3

IPC 56500Introduction to Substance Abuse Counseling

3

IPC 59000-59999Special Topics in Counseling

1-6

IPC 61002Peer Helping Programs

3

IPC 61003Spirituality and Counseling

3

IPC 61004Adult Survivors of Trauma

3

IPC 61005Clinical Hypnotherapy

6

IPC 61006Grief Counseling

3

IPC 61007Core Communication

3

IPC 62101Field Placement 1 Extension

0

IPC 62201Field Placement 2 K-8 Extension

0

IPC 62301Field Placement 2 7-12 Extension

0

IPC 62401Field Placement 2 K-12 Extension

0

IPC 62500Individual Intelligence Testing

3

IPC 62600Individual Diagnostic Assessment

3

Education Coursework

Students seeking certification under this degree program must hold a valid Missouri teaching certificate as required to teach in public schools in Missouri or complete the following education classes to be eligible for certification:

9 credit hours of coursework from the following options:

EDC 52100Classroom Teaching/Management for Counselors

3

EDC 53500Teaching Methods for Counselors

3

EDC 54100Education of the Exceptional Child for Counselors

3

The Counseling Department offers a cluster of these three education courses, to be taken concurrently, which requires access to and familiarity with the internet and Canvas. If students elect to take these education courses separately (or have taken one or two equivalent education classes previously), they may take the education classes through another program or as tutorials through the Counseling Department. Undergraduate equivalent courses are accepted.

Field Placement Requirement

Students in the school counseling track are required to complete a minimum of 400 hours of supervised field placement experience. Field Placement 1 (IPC 62100) requires a minimum of 200 clock hours. Field Placement 2 (IPC 62400) requires a minimum of 200 clock hours. All field placements must be in K-12 settings under the supervision of a certified school counselor with a minimum of 3 years full-time experience as a certified school counselor. A minimum of 100 hours must be spent at an alternative grade level building. Students must have at least a 3.0 GPA to begin Field Placement 1 or Field Placement 2 and be placed at an approved K-12 site through the Office of Field and Clinical Experiences. Students are expected to earn a grade of A or B in Field Placement (IPC 62100 and IPC 62400) in order to graduate. Students will be required to repeat the course if they earn less than a B. If students take an incomplete in IPC 62100 and are unable to complete at least half the required field placement hours, they must enroll in Field Placement 2 K-12 Extension (IPC 62101) for zero credit hours to allow them to attend field placement classes while completing the required hours. If students take an incomplete in Field Placement 2, regardless of how many hours are needed, they must enroll in IPC 62401 for zero credit hours to allow them to attend field placement classes while completing the required hours. A fee of $50 will be incurred for each extension.

Exit Requirements

In order to fulfill degree requirements, each student completes IPC 60500 (Comprehensive Examination) by passing the Missouri Educator Gateway Assessments (MEGA): Missouri Content Assessment, test MO056 MEGA Counselor. During the program, each student will also complete all state required assessments. In addition, each student will purchase and compile an electronic portfolio demonstrating competencies as delineated by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education standards, to be completed by the end of Field Placement 2. Further information regarding exit requirements is provided in the School Counseling Handbook.